


Love and the Force: Ties that Bind

by XxXCaunwenNestrielXxX



Series: Reylo: The Ties that Bind [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Being Lost, Dark Rey (Star Wars), Dark Side Rey, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Secrets, Force Bond (Star Wars), Gen, Gray Jedi, Jedi, Jedi Code (Star Wars), Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Nature Versus Nurture, New Jedi Order, OTP Feels, On the Run, Past Leia Organa/Han Solo, Past Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Pilot Ben Solo, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Redeemed Ben Solo, Resurrection, Reylo - Freeform, Role Reversal, Seduction to the Dark Side, Sith Code, Sith Empire, Skywalker Family Feels, Soul Bond, Star-crossed, The Dark Side of the Force, The First Order, The First Order Sucks, The Force, The Force Ships It, True Love, otp, soul mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 16:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20085175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxXCaunwenNestrielXxX/pseuds/XxXCaunwenNestrielXxX
Summary: Sequel to "Love and the Force Know No Bounds" Ben is now fighting to earn forgiveness and reconnect with the Light Side he had so vehemently opposed. Rey has embraced the thrall of the Dark Side and forsaken all else save her heritage. Both will be pushed to their limits in terms of power and emotions. The fate of the Galaxy is up to them. ReyxBen





	1. Depraved and Depurate

**Author's Note:**

> So here is the sequel to "Love and the Force Know No Bounds". It has been a year in the making and I hope it doesn't disappoint. This story will be much grittier and poignant but a happy ending might just be possible :) Italicized parts are either Chewbacca speaking in Shyriiwook, or Rey thinking. I highly recommend listening to "The Animal I have Become " by Three Days Grace", Dynasty by MIIA, and "Cold" by Aqaulung and Lucy Schwartz.

POV:Luke

The Millennium Falcon propelled through the invisible threshold of D'Qar's atmosphere as it careened upward against the stubborn force of gravity. Despite its advanced age, indicated by is plethora of deep carbon scores and singe marks, the Falcon performed quite admirably considering the less than ideal circumstances. The vessel shuddered in accordance when particularly rough patches of atmosphere struck in just the right place. Padmé had been transferred to the Med Bay and was sequestered to the weathered cot shoved to the extreme into the wall of the corridor. Luke was kneeled at the foot of his daughter's metaphorical pyre keeping vigil. Only three decades earlier Luke had found himself in a very similar position incapacitated and plastered to the cot. Ironically, both father and daughter were left reeling from recent amputations, Luke on Bespin, and Padmé on Naboo. They were also fleeing for their lives with a rag tag group of misfits. If he weren't so inundated with fear, Luke might have found the parallels humorous.

Luke closed his eyes and surrendered to a moment of hopelessness. Leia sensed her twin's loss of faith and she knelt beside him. Luke appeared numb to the sudden presence of his sister, and his head continued to hang dejectedly. Leia raised a hesitant hand and brought it to rest on Luke's shoulder.

"Luke, Padmé isn't going anywhere. Fate is not that cruel. We didn't gain one child to just lose another."

Luke shifted his eyes up slightly, but his head still remained bowed. A sudden current of resentment funneled through Luke's mind and he tasted the bitter flavor of jealousy.

"Leia, you can say that all you want, but look at the cards our family has been dealt so far. Our mother died in child birth because our father strangled her, I grew up an orphan on a desolate and backwater dust ball. You lost your mother and father due to the Death Star, and even worse you watched your entire planet's obliteration with nothing you could do but bear witness. Our father spent decades as a mutilated cyborg who with the slightest electrical burst could short out, not to mention that only his regret and servitude to the Dark Side sustained him."

Leia made to speak with a determined twitch of her lips but Luke lifted his prosthetic lower arm to silence her before any words could see the light of day.

"Not to mention more recently, Han, the love of your life was murdered by the very son you created together. The first apprentice I've had in years rejected the Light Side and attacked my daughter due to my foolish need to keep secrets and exercise more control than was mine to exercise. Fate has nothing to do with our current predicaments. Our choices dug our graves long ago, and just now are we suffering for our sins. Do not be misled, I couldn't feel more happiness for you then I do right now, the joy a child brings is incomparable to all else, but to long have I avoided culpability. You have your son back, I very may well lose my daughter before I have had the chance to beg her forgiveness and most of all tell her that I love her. I cannot continue to delude myself in believing our lot has been seared into the abyss of space, but that my actions had consequences. The tale of the Skywalker line has long been one of poor decision making and I am following in our father's footsteps during my atonement. I do not contest that I deserve it, but I am selfish enough to lament that my daughter got caught in the middle. Most of all, I hate myself for this, I cannot help but wonder why my Padmé lingers on the precipice of death while your son sits healthy and well in the cockpit of the man in which he committed patricide."

Leia sucked in a hearty supply of breath, which she was certain would prove useful in her chastisement of her defeated brother. She elevated her other hand to clasp Luke's shoulder in order to spin him to face her. Luke put up a slight opposition to turn away from Padmé, but Leia sent a telepathic warning,

Luke, stop resisting. We weren't raised together, nor did we grow up together, but I didn't expect my 54-year-old brother to take this long to mature. Turn around.

Luke acquiesced, but fought to avoid eye contact. Leia waited until Luke thought himself successful and pulled him in front of her and looked him square in the eye.

"Yes, our lives have been ones of immense grief, hardship and loss, but we never let that harden us. Especially you, Luke, you were hope incarnate. You are correct that the choices we made have led us to the present, but they haven't doomed us. Nor, can we resign ourselves to an existence of refusing to acknowledge what there is to be grateful for. There has also been unimaginable joy. We both grew up with people who protected and made us feel loved. Their deaths didn't change that. Think back on the night the Empire finale fell. You defeated the evilest being known to our galaxy, brought peace to our father and an end to tyranny. Han, Lando, Chewie, C-3PO and R2-D2 were all there with us celebrating the realization of what we had all fought for for all along."

Flashes of glorious fireworks and splashes of blissful laughter made themselves known before Luke. A warm glow of comradery and much deserved jubilation radiated outward.

"I had never experienced anything quite like that before, and I don't think I ever will again. It has been so long since I finally had everyone I loved around me, and never did I think the rush of adrenaline would sweep us up ever again. But I don't have the energy nor the desire to argue with you Leia, you've always held us together in times of hardship, and you seem determined to do that once again. With such a powerful and volatile enemy our chances are slim, maybe even worse than they were the first time. Palpatine may be gone, but his memory lives on in that girl, and if she fully connects with it, we are all doomed. The only hope is eliminating Rey from the equation."

Leia pursed her lips and contemplated what her brother had to say. After fully comprehending Luke's declaration a hesitant smile quickly found itself upon the general's face.

"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that. We need everyone at peak condition in this war. Now, Luke what were you suggesting when you said Rey needs to be removed?"

A subtle whisper of slithering doubt coiled up Leia's mind. Loss and perceived failure could do strange things to anyone, even the best of people, and she feared for what Luke intended to do with the wayward Rey.

"I won't lose my family again, this was my mistake and I will fix it. Returning Rey to the light side is the boon we need to tilt the scales. Don't think I didn't detect your worry, more killing won't solve the problem, only worsen it. No matter their past actions, everyone that we love and know at the core are pure will walk out of this alive yet."

Leia was overjoyed to hear her brother say the words. She flung her arms around him held tighter than a restraining bolt on the ever feisty R2. He was back, her endlessly positive and bright brother was back! She removed herself from his embrace and went to hold one of his hands, and clasp the other of her comatose niece.

"Now we just need to wake your daughter up."  
\---

POV: Ben

Chewie rushed to the cockpit like a womp rat fleeing from Luke's sniper rifle back on Tantooine. Decades of acting as co-pilot and on the fly repair wookiee left Chewbacca the best equipped care taker of the Millennium Falcon. Whenever a smuggling scheme went sour and Han had to hightail it out of the domains of those he cheated, Chewie knew before Han even reached the ship that take off maneuvers would be called for. Chewbacca had scoured every centimeter of the ship when patching up the ISU-Sim SSPO5 hyperdrive or the Girodyne SRB42 sublight engines which after prolonged exertion often collapsed and sputtered into lifelessness. The wookiee had learned to translate every whir, buzz and pop of the freighter into decipherable speech. An undeniable symbiosis was reached. As the former Co-pilot Chewie had taken up the helm of piloting the ship as the primary navigator. Therefore, it was now up to him to escape from the foul grasp of Snoke.

Rey's betrayal cut deep into the furry recesses of Chewie's bruised and dejected being. For a few weeks everything seemed to be looking up, and that the Falcoln would continue to be home to a loyal and trusty crew, but his hopes were dashed. Losing Rey was a terrible blow as Han had taken an instant shining to the girl, wanting to be her mentor, but he was mistaken. Like Han, Rey was also lost too soon. Chewbacca had anticipated he would be the sole crew member in the cockpit, but the surprises just kept coming when Ben skillfully slid into co-pilot seat. He straightened his posture and his hands went to work in a flurry of fingers cavorting along the controls and switches. His expression was set firm and focused. Ben had shed his raven robes that formerly clung to his contour like a shadow. The severe garb had always been the first indication of his iniquitous union, his pitch hair only completed the unnerving specter. But now, Ben had rejected his maligned persona and clothed himself in garments of the ordinary man.

His newly acquired attire was of a simple beige and sepia shade with little flare. The unsuspecting apparel along with the determined side profile of Ben marked him a vision of a younger Han and seeing Ben in a place deemed sacred by the father he impaled with a tool of the Dark side was too much for Chewbacca. He roared with a fluctuating tone that spoke of his multifaceted dissatisfaction and removed a paw from the primary steering apparatus and batted at Ben with enough force to knock him out of the chair.

Don't you dare desecrate this place with your presence. On Kasyhyyyk, you would be disgraced and banished to waste away in the Shadowlands held prisoner by ravenous kinrath and vile terentatek. Choked in utter darkness. Don't presume to have been forgiven. I can get us out of here without your murderous hands interfering. Leave."

Chewbacca punctuated his statement with not a menacing bellow but an affrighting growl.

Ben landed roughly on his side and it took several seconds to regain his wherewithal, jolted by the mighty blow of his surrogate uncle. The pounding in his head didn't deter his ears from catching Chewie's sentiments. He hung his head low and tears hesitantly trailed down his face as if wary of reprimand.

He remained seated but responded, "Chewbacca, everything you have said is correct, and I wish it weren't so. You are right that I don't deserve to be here, I deserve to be chained in the cargo hold like the animal I am, but nobody else here is capable of fulfilling the role of your first mate. Luke couldn't be torn from Padmé's side if he was caught in an Imperial tractor beam. And mother is the only one who can comfort him now, rescuing him from the edge of hatred. For the sake of everyone aboard who deserves to see another day, let me stay and help pilot the ship."

There was no obvious evil design spoken in Ben's words, but lies often came in the guise of truth. Neither was there a flicker of duplicity in the boy's eye. Luke's lightsaber had chosen him after all of his cries. The tears had not subsided either which gave Chewbacca a slight bit of reassurance.

Chewbacca's whiskers remained skewed downward on a borderline snarl and a hard gleam shielded his eye.

I am not doing this for you, do not forget that. And I see no path to absolution, but it is not my right to deny you a step in that direction. Be warned Young Solo, at the first sign of insubordination, you will find yourself tucked away in your proposed place of imprisonment

The admonishing tone held echoes of an exacerbated yet fatherly instruction that a more innocent Ben received from a younger and happier Chewie. Ben's heart ached, but he set aside all morose memories and stood up to fulfill his promise. Luke's lightsaber had chosen him so maybe he had a role to play beyond the tarnished disappointment of a family notorious for charitable heroics.

He returned to the chair and swallowed back a cry of guilt as he sat collapsed back into it. Repressed torment both old and new silently marred his perception. Ben would forever be haunted by the fact that he murdered his father at the worst of moments. He had ignored all supplications powered by love his father made from him to come back, and shut him up in the most violent way. Murdering Han would always be the most grievous stain welded into Ben's twisted soul and he would have to learn to live with himself. And even worse, Rey had been lost because he didn't fight hard enough to keep her from being devoured by the black abyss. He had failed her when she was a fragile child only seeking friendship, and now as a grown woman full of remarkable potential in both kindness and the Force. Fleeing from the girl with who he saw a future of companionship and love, of any kind was agonizing, but to save her, he first had to leave her. Before he placed absolute attention on flying he heard a miserable cry laced with desolation and loneliness.  
\---

POV:Rey

Rey fell to her knees in anguish and an incinerating shockwave cascaded outward. Her screams continued on through the now empty Resistance base and rendered it a metallic tomb of mourning.

Snoke stood near the entrance of the room among a forest of sparking and shattered communication consoles, navigation ports and war computers. At times it was necessary to erect a telekinetic barrier to redirect a particularly fierce ripple that threatened to overcome him, but he was terrified not for his new apprentice's volatility left her sloppy and exhausted. Snoke was content to behold the Heir to Palpatine wreak as much havoc as she wished for embracing the thrill of destruction and the intoxication of loathing was the first step to conditioning her into the ideal juggernaut. Snoke did not solely intend for Rey to be a blunt weapon, but also a nuanced assassin outranking any one else. Discipline would cultivate her into the ultimate embodiment of the dark side, but expressing all her rage was critical. First it would allow her to eventually pick out particular people or notions needed to fuel her awesome powers, and second when she had drained herself completely she would be helpless and unable to resist. The perfect subject to be broken and made anew. Snoke simply looked onward and drank in the potential of the girl before him. He sported a terrible grin of pride that contorted his broken face into a sight of mangled flesh and cracked yellow teeth.

They had all left her. How could they abandon her? They were supposed to be pinnacles of tolerance and forgiveness. The Skywalker clan was famous for its endless depth for love and goodness, but apparently that well had run dry. Once they may have been paragons, but age and atrophy ruined them into blind fools enthralled by their own hubris. They had deceived her from the start; Luke feigned to be a compassionate and good natured master, but he revealed himself to be a serpent fighting to hold a false skin that should have been shed long ago. Chewbacca dropped her at the first sign of struggle, Leia regarded her with only a frosty glare contradicting her guise as the nurturing General. And worst of all, Ben fell under their duplicitous thrall. He claimed to desire to make amends and be absolved of all sins he inflicted upon her, but he also deserted her. She should have known better than to see anything but deceit in his promises of redemption. Something as trivial as ancestry thwarted any allegiance he held toward her. He had proven once again to be a coward, and she had fallen for it once more.

But never again would she fall prey to his empty pledges, she had stuck with him when they found common ground in their mission, rejecting any taint his own lineage would have, but he was unable to return that courtesy. Hypocrisy was something Rey had grown to expect in her life, but she had grown complacent. Never again would she open herself to the flighty whims of others, from now on she would only rely on herself for security and support. She gladly awaited the powers she would soon learn. With such abilities at her beck and call she could hunt down each of the liars, torture them until their throats became raw with cries of mercy, and they pleaded for reprieve. It would be a pleasure to fool them like they had her. They would come to regret their indecency, and she only needed to learn more of the clout within her screaming to get out to exact her revenge.

She spoiled herself with one more outward shoved wall of wrath accompanied by a monstrous screech.

Rey stayed there for a moment wracked with jerks of fatigue, and when she set her hand down on the splintered floor, she stood up as an entirely different person. Ben may scheme to become a depurate man, but she would enjoy her existence as a lady of the depraved.

She met the venomous sneer of Snoke with her own, conflagrations of vermilion and plum flashed in her eyes.

"Teach me everything."  
\---

POV: Padmé

Everything was wispy, animated clouds occupying the world. There was no color anywhere, only bleak grey marked the atmosphere like smoke. Nothing stayed in a concrete shape for long, and the images dissolved into cords of cinder. This place was also devoid of all emotion and life save for the broken woman limping through the nothingness. All was fleeting and without purpose. The perfect imitation of purgatory she thought. The ground was relatively flat, but ultimately it softly ascended into a hill which she struggled to mount. Yelps and cries narrated her journey but she reached the top after monumental effort. She looked ahead and saw color for the first time: a beautiful woman clad in rich finery, a head piece that looked dreadfully heavy and a face painted in pure white besides scarlet dots resting on her cheeks, and an embellishment on her neutral lip. Queen Amidala of Naboo, better known to her family as Padmé Naberrie, her namesake too, resided within this dismal place, and she seemed keen on encountering her granddaughter.


	2. Clarity and Calamity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter 2! I hope some questions have been answered, but you are left with more as well. I recommend listening to the songs "I Hate Everything About You" by Three Days Grace, "The Call" by Regina Spektor,"Lost Without You" by Freya Ridings, and "I'll Be Good" by Jaymes Young.

POV: Padmé Skywalker

The regal silhouette of Amidala proceeded with fluidity and grace. The cadence of her approach reminded Padmé of a cascading turquoise waterfall tumbling upon the stones that dared to brave the light of day. Amidala was resplendent in her shockingly white tunic, akin to an Angel of Iego that Anakin once compared her to. Padmé's gaze couldn't help but be drawn to her grandmother. 

Amidala was like a beacon, alerting the dreary atmosphere that it was safe to once again express the blush and flourish of life. The nearer that Amidala drew, the more colors swirled around her and projected outward to rejuvenate the grey decay. Her own dress grew more vibrant and varied in hue, boasting a chaotic garden of bright blooms.

Once the pigment reached Padmé, vitality surged through her, and all around was clear. No longer did the ghoulish billows of slate dominate this peculiar place. She dropped her head to locate the stabilizing ground beneath her, in preparation to rise and greet her grandmother. A gasp of shock got caught in her throat as she recognized the long forgotten sight in front of her: two hands comprised entirely of organic flesh. With the slightest whim the tendons would contract into a rigid design, the skin dancing a duet of tangibility with her mind. Padmé's mind raced with questions as she pushed herself from the ground.

Once she was upright, Padmé reached her arms out before her and marveled at how wonderful the simple flex of a finger or tremble of the knuckle could be. Sputters of disbelief tumbled from her mouth, open in awe, and poignant tears of mourning fluttered from down her cheeks. It had been over a decade since she had ownership of her own natural hand, and only a few days ago had she lost the other one.

This inexplicable regeneration should have shaken her to the core, but Padmé was inundated with happiness. Nothing could dissuade her from expressing the joy she now felt, not even the suspect character of this confounding locale.

All cynicism had drained from her along with the lack of color. Caught up in her celebration, she was torn from her reverie by the sensation of another finger wiping away her rebellious tears. The finger was not her own.

The owner withdrew their digit and stepped back to give Padmé some space. Padmé left the miraculous image of her own two hands and registered that her deceased grandmother was standing before her. All makeup had vanished from Amidala's face, and only a gentle smile. remained. Youth softened all edges and reversed any aging displayed on Amidala's profile.

"Grandmother, is it really you?"

Amidala nodded her head emphatically.

"It is really me, my gorgeous Padmé."

"But how? Where are we?" Padmé responded in a rush.

A chuckle as soothing as a spring breeze was issued by Amidala. She pulled Padmé into a brief, but meaningful embrace and released her.

"Let me look at you, child. You are so beautiful. You have so much of your father and grandfather in you, right down to the sandy sweeps of hair and your cobalt blues. Just like your grandfather there is a look about you, like you are always mentally tinkering on a starship. You exude focus."

Padmé withdrew back sharply, she collapsed in on herself like someone had placed a black hole where her lungs used to be. Hurt scraped away the happiness that marked her features. But she recovered quick, and looked Amidala square in the eye.

"I am nothing like them. I am my own person. Please never say that again." Her tone at first was biting dwindled down to a soft plea. Her pain was quite evident.

Amidala paused to allow her granddaughter to collect herself. Then satisfied with the time she remained silent, she broke the quiet.

"I did not mean to hurt you. Never. This is the first time I have been close to you. I do not want to spoil it with upsetting talk. Just please know one thing, despite the mistakes Anakin and Luke made, their intentions were always the product of love. I do not seek to absolve them of blame, for I too was collateral damage in your grandfather's attempt to conquer his demons. I did not choose to orphan your father. I only want to help you understand that their flaws do not outweigh their virtues. Remember that."

In an abandoned compartment of Padmé's scarred and dormant heart did the sweet ringing of truth sing out, but she quickly squashed the melody with her immense bitterness. Bitterness for all the damage her family caused in the name of love. It was an exhausted and empty excuse that she had heard so many times.

Those justifications just ended up proving as duplicitous as her selfish relatives. Pretty at the surface, but rotten inside.

Now Padmé very much wanted to lash out and attack her grandmother with venomous accusations, but she didn't want to waste this miraculous experience haranguing one who had not earned her wrath.

Drawing in a heavy breath, Padmé smothered any instinct to spite her grandmother, and instead replied calmly.

"Grandmother, I have heard that same line more times than there are stars in the sky. It no longer moves me the way it once did. I do not want to sully our time together either. So please just talk to me about anything else. Perhaps you could tell me where we are."

Her statement was punctuated with a tone of genuine curiosity.

A subtle smile quirked on her grandmother's lips.

"I am glad you asked. This place is called "The Beyond" it is a plane that lies after life, but before death. An in between space if you will. You can think of it as a plane. A plane where those who sustained mortal wounds or ailments go, but they remain here until they cut the cord that is tethering them to the world. I have been here for 50 years now, its been a lonely experience, but it hasn't been completely empty, as it has given me the opportunity to watch my children and grandchildren grow up. I must admit, I never expected you would come here so soon. I know of the danger that you faced, and how abused your body has been, that is why you are here. You are clinging to the precipice of oblivion; your inner fire is keeping you alive. And, now I believe that we can help each other. We could be the key that the other needs to move on to much deserved, and coveted peace. Rest if you will."

Padmé was dumbstruck, and rendered speechless. Following the night that Kylo Ren ambushed her father's temple, and her father forsook her, she had submitted herself to torment. Never before did she think that there might be a shaft of luminescence, like the shine of the sun, would penetrate the pitch chasm in which she dwelled. 

Padmé hadn't dared to let hope further add to her miseries, but with her grandmother before her, all of those steadfast convictions seemed a little less probable. Peace did sound nice after the years she spent fighting to flee from and vanquish her past. Maybe her future could be one of contentment instead of anguish.

"You make a very convincing argument grandmother. I want what you propose to become reality, tell me what we must do."

"I need to explain a little more before I can advise you. The Beyond isn't only inhabited by myself, but by other creatures, both fair and malicious. With your arrival the stagnant world around them has stirred once more. They know you've come, and will be roused to pursue their own ends. You will be able to return to life because you have vessel that remains intact and viable. I cannot leave, so your journey will primarily be completed on your own. I will see you only when you close your eyes and surrender to the thrall of sleep. I will do my best to guide you, Padmé, but I do not think this task will prove easy. There is much that yet neither of us understand. Now, my time is up! Your family wants you back!:

Immediately, Padmé's eyes snapped open.  
\---

POV: Ben Solo

"Chewbacca, bank left!" Ben shouted.

Adrenaline coursed through Ben's veins, and he snapped and crackled live a livewire. Never before had he been in a position that he was running from the insurmountable odds, fleeing to regroup and counter with all of his might. Circumstances had most definitely changed. This perilous flying was absolutely thrilling and he drank it all in, like a parched wanderer gasping for water. The future was now full of uncertainty. It was impossible to divine for how long he would be with his family, or if he would even live long enough the see the foul Snoke defeated.

Grief threatened to consume his at every moment. Ben had developed a prodigious talent for setting aside his emotions, recognizing them for the weakness that they were, and subsequently rejecting them. His training mandated that he purge himself of any distractions, especially the most dangerous ones: those that came from within. He was now of the mind that emotions were indeed not open slashes in his psychological armor, but instead added layers of protection. Despite this revelation, Ben knew that falling prey to self-reproach would only jeopardize everyone onboard the Falcon.

There would be a time to make amends, but that wouldn't happen if they were all space dust. Therefore, Ben had to focus on the task at hand. The current task was convincing Chewbacca that he knew how to fly a spaceship.

"Chewbacca, I said bank left. If we continue on this course, we will be sitting ducks!"

The Wookie barely acknowledged Ben's declaration, as he was content to fly as he saw fit.

Stop pestering me child, I have piloted this ship since before you were born. I know what I am doing.

In that moment a wayward laser beam struck just below the cockpit, momentarily raising the temperature to scorching heights, and heavily jostling the helm.

Ben grew exasperated, "Chewbacca, I am not contesting that you know the ship much better than I do, but I have an idea that could work, and giving it a chance is better than getting blown out of the sky!"

Chewbacca failed to respond to Ben's supplication and fastened his eyes to the multitude of Star Destroyers and Tie Fighters that were intent on vaporizing them.

"Fine, if you insist on ignoring me, I will save our skins our skins myself." Ben shouted.

He removed one hand from the steering apparatus he was futilely trying to manipulate and made to telekinetically move Chewbacca's own device when Chewbacca sent an irate roar.

Do not use your Force tricks again! I do not trust what you will do with them, and they're the one thing here that I cannot control! Your father flew this ship fine without any fantastic powers, and you will honor his memory, by piloting in the same fashion. Listen to me, or leave the cockpit!

Ben lowered his hand immediately in order to not further tempt the capricious wrath of the worried Wookie beside him.

Chewbacca did have a valid point, and the last thing I want to do is give any more reason for my family to distrust me. I must atone for my sins, and the one I hurt the most isn't even alive. If this could possible make things right, I need to try it.

"Alright Chewbacca, I won't interfere with anymore Force Tricks. This ship is now yours to captain so I will defer to your judgment."

The corner of Chewbacca's whiskered lip tilted upward. The contour of a smile ghosting the Wookie's face.

Wise choice young one. Now let's test your theory about banking left.

Unexpectedly Chewbacca pulled the controls to the direction opposite of what he had been directing it toward and the ship moved in accordance. Rays of green emitted photons flew through space with tremendous speed, and lethal precision. The margins of survival were slim, but Ben prayed that with Chewbacca at the controls they might be able to pass through the glowing lattice work before them.  
\---  
POV: Rey, Two weeks later

Rey dropped to a tuck with tremendous speed, but the blade of the charging praetorian skimmed the middle of Rey's right shoulder and traced a furrow of scalded skin, already puckering and hissing at the steaming edges. She fell to the floor paralyzed by the burning. She had never been struck by a light saber, and it was excruciating.

The praetorian capitalized on her halted defense and took the extra step of jabbing the blade once again into the smoldering crease.

Rey cried out in renewed suffering and crumpled to her knees. Her kneejerk response was to return the painful favor in the form of a concentrated discharge of fire, but Snoke instinctively blocked her offense with the closing of his gnarled claws.

"Boga, enough with the petulant outbursts! Raw power is nothing without fine tuned skill. What will you do if your adversary momentarily overwhelms you and strikes before you detonate. You are not a clumsy grenade, but a refined scythe. You must learn to become more resourceful in combat! That pathetic performance of yours with Skywalker's lightsaber is no longer acceptable. Fight well, fight better, or you will die."

Snoke's words were chilling like gelid razors hungry to freeze, but they were true. Sole reliance on brute force would get her killed.

She bowed her head in subservience, "Yes my master. I will heed your counsel."

Snoke nodded, and feigned a return to his perch on his imposing throne, but suddenly through a bolt of lightning at Rey, causing her to seize and sparks to leap from her convulsing body.

"Another lesson; never let your guard down. It would be a shame if you were cut down due to your own sloppiness. Begin again."

Hatred pulsated through Rey and constructed a crimson shell of light clinging to the contours of her body. The air near here became unbearably febrile, and the skin underneath the assailing guard began to blister and pop with heat. The flesh becoming a gruesome mosaic of charred swells.

He too fell to his knees.

A wicked smirk sprouted on Rey's seething visage. Laughter threatened to spill from her clenched mouth.

Snoke sighed in what seemed like apprehensive conquest when he raised his arm and protruded his gnarled digits outward to mirror the vice grip one would have around the throat of another.

Rey lifted from the ground and remained suspended in midair. All oxygen fled from her lungs, and desperate breaths clawing to break through the hold on her neck fought passionately. Snoke held her in a stout Force Choke, beyond her abilities to fragment from the inside.

Not until Rey's face was devoid of all pigment, and was of a distressing pallor did he release her. Roughly he tossed her several meters away from where she previously stood. Skidding across the floor, she was dazed and the training room spun before her eyes in nauseating circles.

"My praetorians are not play things for you to discard or abuse when you grow frustrated, they are loyal followers tasked with teaching you how to be self-sufficient. You are not to attack them in retaliation for your own failures. Now get up, and prove that you are of superior stock. Focus on the form of Soresu right now, for you have sufficiently proved, your defense is sorely lacking. Proceed to the opening stance. Hold the blade parallel to your other hand which is raised as well. Prepare yourself to quickly assemble a fortification against a ferocious enemy. Nobody will play nice."

Rey rose from the heap she had landed in on the durasteel floor and tensed her body to react at a moment's notice to an incoming onslaught. The scalded praetorian was exchanged for a new one, bereft of any injuries and began his assault. This one favored the Ataru style and nimbly flipped to land behind Rey to exploit her unprotected back. Rey was ready this time to respond and twirled around to block the blade intended to strike between her vulnerable shoulder blades. Her parry was successful at she had ample time to regroup before her opponent attempted a diagonal somersault created to create optimal rotational damage.

The daughter of Palpatine drew her blade in and stepped backwards to create a buffer between her and the acrobatic praetorian. Realizing that execution had fallen short, her opponent offered a powerful pick to her jaw that she narrowly dodged. Her own lightsaber scuffed the reinforced boot of the combatant and he wheeled away rapidly to avoid any permanent damage to his armor.

Rey then delivered her own blow to his chin and he stumbled back stunned. Deftly she swept her leg underneath the stupefied praetorian and he crashed down unceremoniously. She thrust the saber downward to strike him in the chest, but he rolled out of the way and back onto his feet before her attack hit its mark.

Snoke's servant then advanced forward to offer his own attack by slamming the butt of his lightsaber hilt to Rey's forehead. She lost her footing and intersected with the hard floor once more, but she wasn't going to be victimized again, her lightsaber was ready to block the blade descending to hit her in the chest and they clashed with a resounding crackle. She wound up and shifted her weight to lean back onto her shoulder blades and delivered a debilitating kick to the praetorian's forehead. He crumpled in unconsciously.

She risked a glance at Snoke, and saw him grinning in pleasure. Seeing her master's approval fueled her resolve to become as much of a threat as she could to exact vengeance on those who had wronged her.  
\---

POV: Unkown

A man long thought deceased exited the rotund shelter he once called home on the barren stretches of the Junland Wastes. The wind carried grains of mischievous sand. Some of the gravel chafed against his strawberry blond beard, but did no harm. The specks of sand simply tickled his nose and cheeks, reminding him that he was once again alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well lets see if you can guess who the mystery character is. I am sure you will all figure it out right away, but the intetino was to create suspense. Regarding the Beyond, I hope that isnt too cliché, but it was the best formula for me to connect all of these deceased and lost characters to the story. "Bogna" is also another name for Dark Side, so that is her name from Palpatine's side. Padmé, Luke and possible Leia's points of view will be expanded on. And Poe, Finn and BB-8 will make some appearances.

**Author's Note:**

> This was such a joy to write and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did creating it. This story will explore Padmé's point of view more, see the evolution of Ben, and how far Rey will fall. Also, more light will be shed on Rey's family connections to fill in the gaps. I truly wish that Rey isn't coming off as too ridiculous but this is how I interpret her reaction of being abandoned again. Of course, she is in the wrong as she is the one who chose to leave her friends behind, but she is inundated with grief and the anger so she isn't thinking clearly. Next up: Padmé speaks with her grandmother from the Beyond, Ben reels with his decisions. Luke and Chewbacca struggle to accept Ben's return. Rey is thrown head first in to the brutal realities of training as a Darksider. (there are two: one from her mother's side, and the other from her father's side). The Saga continues!


End file.
